Emmeram of Regensburg

Saint Emmeram of Regensburg (also Emeram(m)us, Emmeran, Emmerano, Emeran, Heimrammi, Haimeran, or Heimeran) was a Christian bishop and a martyr born in Poitiers, Aquitaine. Having heard of idolatry in Bavaria, Emmeram travelled to Ratisbon (Regensburg) some time after the year 649 to the court of Theodo I, Duke of Bavaria. He supposedly travelled up the Loire, crossed through the Black Forest and then followed the Danube to Regensburg. Theodo welcomed Emmeram to his court, where he laboured for three years carrying out missionary work. During this time, he gained a reputation as a pious man. He died circa 652 and is buried in St. Emmeram's in Regensburg, Germany. His feast day in the CatholicCalendar of saints is September 22.

Arbeo of Freising wrote a biography of Emmeram in 750, the Vita Sancti Emmerami, about 100 years after the saint's death. The literature tells the story of Emmeram, born to a noble family in Aquitaine. According to Alban Butler and others, he became Bishop of Poitiers, although this cannot be verified.^[1][2] There is speculation that he held the office briefly between the death of Dido and the accession of Ansoaldus.

Having heard of idolatry in Bavaria, he decided to travel to Ratisbon (Regensburg) some time after the year 649 to the court of Agilofing, Theodo I, Duke of Bavaria. He supposedly travelled up the Loire, crossed through the Black Forest and then followed the Danube to Regensburg. Theodo welcomed Emmeram to his court, where he laboured for three years carrying out missionary work. During this time, he gained a reputation as a pious man. He founded the monastery that later bore his name.^[3]

Luego emprendió una peregrinación a Roma, pero tras cinco días de viaje, en un lugar que hoy se llama Kleinhelfendorf , al sur de Múnich , fue atacado por Lantpert de Baviera , hijo del duque , quien lo torturó cruelmente. Murió poco después en Aschheim , a unos veinticuatro kilómetros de distancia. Se desconocen la causa de este ataque y las circunstancias de su muerte. ^{[ 1 ]}

Según cuenta la historia, Uta (u Ota), hija del duque, le confió a Emmeram que esperaba un hijo fuera del matrimonio. Según Arbeo, el padre era un tal Sigipaldus, de la corte de su padre. Conmovido por la compasión, Emmeram le aconsejó que se nombrara a sí mismo, a quien todos respetaban, como el padre, con la esperanza de mitigar parte de su vergüenza. ^{[ 1 ]} Poco después, según la leyenda, Emmeram emprendió repentinamente una peregrinación a Roma. En ese momento, Uta nombró a Emmeram como el padre.

Cuando el duque Theodo y su hijo Lantpert se enteraron del embarazo de Uta, Lantpert fue tras el obispo. Lantpert alcanzó a Emmeram en Helfendorf (actualmente parte del suburbio muniqués de Aying ) en la antigua calzada romana entre Salzburgo y Augsburgo , en la Vía Julia Augusta , y lo saludó como «obispo y cuñado». Según la tradición popular, queriendo proteger al verdadero culpable, Emmeram no se defendió y recibió numerosas heridas. ^{[ 4 ]} Lantpert y sus seguidores ataron a Emmeram a una escalera y procedieron a torturarlo; luego lo decapitaron.

Sus compañeros, Vitalis y Wolflete, lo encontraron aún con vida, tendido en su propia sangre, y trataron de llevarlo rápidamente de regreso a Aschheim , ^{[ 4 ]} donde se encontraba una iglesia amurallada del apóstol Pedro .

La improbabilidad del relato, los detalles del martirio del santo, que sin duda son falsos, y la fantástica narración de los prodigios que acompañaron su muerte demuestran que el escritor, contagiado por la manía piadosa de su época, simplemente añadió a los hechos detalles imaginarios que supuestamente redundarían en la gloria del mártir. ^{[ 1 ]}

Un texto impreso en Munich en 1743, Officium oder Tageszeiten des wunderthätigen Bayerischen Apostels und Blutzeugen Christi St. Emmerami, zu täglichen und andächtigen Gebrauch in allen Anliegen und Widerwärtigkeiten etc. , afirma que el carro iba acompañado de

men and women of two hundred persons with great sympathy and prayer. A half hour before reaching Aschheim, the saint called for a halt, as within the hour his reward of heaven was before him. Then it happened that they lifted him down from the cart and laid him upon a beautiful sward, where he gave up his ghost at once. ...The place where this happened remained fresh and green for all time until finally the alms of travelers (because all four roads come together there) and other good-hearted Christians had a church built, where even today many wonders still occur!

Arbeo of Freising depicted the place of his death as a "lovely, ever spring-green place, upon which a spring appeared and the local people later built a little church."

When the misunderstanding of Emmeram's relationship to Uta was revealed, he was entombed in Aschheim, whereupon legend states that it rained for forty days. Emmeram was exhumed and put upon a raft in the Isar. When the raft reached the Danube, it miraculously floated upstream to Regensburg, where Emmeram was interred in the church of St. George.^[4](A somewhat similar tale is told of Lubentius of Dietkirchen.)^[5]

His remains were later moved to a church dedicated to the martyr. This church burned down in 1642. Emmeram's bones were found under the altar in 1645 and moved to St. Emmeram's Abbey. The church, now a basilica minor, houses his leg bones in a silverreliquary in the eastern portion under the altar.^[1][6]

At the spot Saint Emmeram died in the year 652, a small chapel was erected in the year 1842. The church of St. Lorenz in Oberföhring has a side altar dedicated to St. Emmeram. In the church of Saints Peter and Paul in Aschheim, a plaque memorializes the first grave of Emmeram with an inscription.

The day of his martyrdom is also his feast day, 22 September.

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  Silver reliquary of Saint Emmeram
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  Stained glass depicting Saint Boniface, Saint Denis of Paris, Saint Emmeram and Saint Erhard
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  Statue of Emmeram
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  Sacramentary of Henry II depicting Saint Emmeram and Saint Ulrich of Augsburg flanking Emperor Henry II, who is being crowned by Christ
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  Martyrdom of Saint Emmeramus

• Archivo de santos patronos de San Emmeram de Ratisbona

• (en alemán) San Emmeram del Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon
• (en alemán) Artículo de Emmeram von Regensburg sobre la Wikipedia en idioma alemán

• Arnoldus Emmeramensis, De Miraculis Et Memoria Beati Emmerammi Libri Duo . por Migne Patrología Latina